Canadian Institute For Jewish Research

The Canadian Institute for Jewish Research (CIJR) is a think tank based in Montreal and Toronto. Founded in 1988, its primary goal is to promote Jewish nationalism and Zionism in Canada under the guise of research focused on issues concerning Israel, the Middle East, and international relations.

The Institute's seminars, colloquia, and activities

The Institute's Insider Briefing seminars and Community Colloquia feature experts on Israel, the Middle East, Jewish history, and modern Jewish world issues. Speakers have included Yossi Klein Halevi, Stockwell Day, Itamar Marcus, Dan Gillerman, Norman Podhoretz, Irwin Cotler, Steven Emerson, Moshe Ya'alon, James Woolsey, Alan Baker, and Isi Leiber.

Student programs

In 2007, CIJR launched the ''Student Israel-Advocacy Seminars Program'', a year-long training initiative. The Institute's Israel Learning Seminar (ILS) is a year-long training initiative focused on students but is also open to the public. Given by CIJR Academic Fellows, it is designed to counter what it sees as anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on campus and in the media.

Baruch Cohen

Baruch Cohen was born in Bucharest. During World War II, Baruch survived pogroms, antisemitism, and forced labor camps in Romania. Many of his family and friends were killed in the Holocaust. After the war, Baruch and his family went to Israel. They subsequently moved to Montreal, where Baruch worked as a financial officer. When he retired, he enrolled in graduate school to pursue a Master's degree in Jewish Studies at Concordia University. He now serves as a full-time volunteer Research Chair at CIJR, which he helped to create. He has conducted research, written, and mentored student interns. Baruch is also an active volunteer with the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, where he has served as a docent and speaker. Twenty years ago, he spearheaded and launched the first Montreal Holocaust, Commemoration in memory of Jews murdered in Romania and Transnistria, which has since become an annual event.

Middle East and Jewish world databank

The DataBank, an archive of Israel, Middle East, and other materials related to the Jewish world, is accessible on CIJR's website. Which includes entries on issues ranging from Israeli society and regional politics to international Jewish communities, human rights, and the Holocaust.

Publications

''ISRAFAX''

''ISRAFAX'' is the institute's quarterly research print publication. It provides CIJR members with data and a digest of international analysis and opinion on issues, mixing original content with articles from newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, official documents, and websites from around the world. The Israeli and Arab media are also scanned for reports, opinions, and other documents. The magazine is distributed internationally.

''Dateline: Middle East''

Published by the Student Coalition for a Just Peace in the Middle East, ''Dateline: Middle East'' is a journal featuring topics regarding Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world. The journal is made possible by the support of the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research. Appearing several times per year on university and college campuses, it is distributed across Canada, Israel, and the United States. ''Dateline'' examines the Middle East and covers issues related to the politics, economics, and cultures of the region from a Zionist perspective.

''Israzine''

CIJR's newest publication, ''Israzine'', is a bi-weekly webzine devoted to Israel- and Jewish-world-related political and cultural issues, designed to supplement the ''Briefings'', which group a few pieces around issues of moment, and ISRAFAX, the quarterly print journal.

References

{{Jewish political organizations in Canada

Jewish organizations based in Canada
Zionist organizations in Canada